"How did he get elected 3 times?" Sounds like you're saying he can't be all that bad if he got elected 3 times. Well,
Bush got elected 2 times for a total of 8 horrible years. So it would seem that Berlusconi got elected the same way as
Bush through fraud, manipulating the system, fooling people, religious-mumbo-jumbo moral talk etc. etc. At any rate don't
think Berlusconi or hopefully anybody like him could get elected again. Per lo meno not for awhile. I think the Italian
people have learned their lesson as Americans have.

I wouldn't be so sure Villa. Italians have proved, over time, to be easily foolable people.

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Well, Americans aren't any better. Give Americans another 10 or more years and somebody like Bush could get back in there again.

Zidanie5, What do you think of Berlusconi? Non bisogna mai aver paura di parlare. Bisogna sempre dire come stanno le cose e smascherare gli ipocriti.

Thanks for all your imput people. They were the sort of opinions I was looking for.

Paolo - absolutley agree that political correctness can be highly over rated but unfortunately with 24 hour news...well the cameras have to keep rolling and I think they have to fill it with something. I think that is why the WAGS (wives and girlfriends) are becoming a media phenonomen and not for the better for political and social development, who cares what dress they wear?

Augustus-nice trivia about being an entertainer. I think the gaffe re the tan was partly generational, it can be tricky to mention someone's colour and i do think he was trying to be 'down with the kids' and it went bad and i actually think he thinks his skin tone is great, and he wanted to show how cool he was.

Frederick - people agree with you, he keeps being elected, so what are his good points? I am serious when I say we are not told in the UK/Ireland.

I am interested not only because I plan to live there but because although he divides opinion, he is a stayer. When I tell people I am moving there, generally the first comment is that Italy is corrupt not just organised crime but the government. At the moment as I live in Dublin that tends to come from Irish people...which I find ironic as the corruption here is unbelievable (as is the organised crime)and this is not a country where a person caught with their hand in the cookie jar is dealt with in any way.

Also the old prime minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern, when the economists last year were really starting to raise questions about the economy and the governments handling of it the leader of the country said that 'they should go and commit suicide' for talking down the economy which is a bit of a gaffe and should have gotten international coverage as the Irish economy tanked, but did not.

I also ask as the ex Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, lied about refugees throwing their children off boats (was NOT true) and was generally hated by Australians but was voted back in 3 times yet everyone said they hated him, I think alot if it has to do with self interest at the ballot box.

This is just so you know being a long suffering citizen is quite international!!

So what is the alternative in Italy, is there an up and coming leader? What do you think needs changing.

I am off to look at those you tube clips!

If you own 80% of the media things get very easy
there are some people in italy that they even don't know anything about dell'utri or mangano or previti or europa7 or his unknown funds.
The problem is that there is no alternative, since all the left wings partits ruined themselves with what is called anti-berlusconismo.

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Italiani : esperti nell'arte dell' arrangiarsi

Benito Mussolini created a fascist state in Italy through the use of propaganda, total control etc. etc. Mussolini made the
comment about how he who controls the media,(newpapers, radio, movies etc. etc. controls the people. And of course Berlusconi
admires Mussolini and Mussolini admired Hitler. Although it was Hitler that got his ideas from Mussolini.

Hmm the media ownership is a very interesting angle and I can how it is a problem.

Remember Fox tried to run the political agenda in the US. Obama's campaign started on-line and despite all their hard work Obama did get elected and Fox still hate him and spin bullshit. In fact the US is a great example of alternative media, John Stewart is more trusted then the main News channels.

The conservative government in Australia tried to strangle ABC funding (the national broadcaster) and the Labour government in the UK have pressured the BBC over certain reporting ( look up dodgy dossier).

How do Italians feel about using the internet and the blog for political activation?

Freedom of speech issue in Italy? Find a hosting site in the USA to get around any of those issues.

Personally this whole credit crunch stuff has been media managed to ensure that we will lay down and allow one of the largest transfers of assets from public to private that has ever happened. Us citizens of the world face the same problems when it comes to the media Flat Earth News by Nick Davies outlines this. Personally I have gone back to read Animal Farm and 1984 as it is more relevant than ever before.

Are blogs popular in Italy (excluding ex-pats wittering on about la dolce vita)? If not haow can this be changed encouraged?

freedom of speech? check out the "Editto bulgaro"
Regarding the popularity of blogs they are not already they are not still a lot used, as we are one of the last european country for accessibility to the web.
The most famous blog is the one of beppe grillo. Otherwise poeple prefer the normal media, as tv and newspaper, and if you own 80% of the media maybe you can control the public opinion....

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Italiani : esperti nell'arte dell' arrangiarsi

Dear Villa,

I tell you why Berlusconi can be elected 30 more times...

1) He owns 3 national Tv channels, he controls other 2. He owns 15 magazines and newpapers and 10 publishing companies. About 1,500 journalists work directly or undirectly for him. He can manipulate public opinion like no one else ever could before
in the human history.

2) He's so rich he can "buy" every man on the earth. He has his men everywhere in the power system of Italy. Oppositors loose their jobs, their mouths are shutted up with poverty and isolation.

3) He has been working hard in the destruction of culture, education, languages and civil awarness. Italians have become like uneducated 'children'. He started his strategy 30 years ago, when nobody could suspect he'd become a powerful political leader and he was a simple businessman.

4) Berlusconi changes quickly, he's like a cameleon: he can easily transform himself into whatever electors expect.

5) He's surrounded by "real" slaves: people who adore him like a God and ready to everything in order to serve him.

Hi Marco and Max

Thanks for your comments. Max your comments are particualrly depressing. Unfortunately dumbing down of the population is happening everywhere.

Surely those under the age of 40, the younger generation that have a better understanding of alternative media are interested in change?

There is still good journalism out there, look at what The Guardian has achieved this week regarding the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protest this week. Is there an Italian equivalent?